Best Needle Painting Books for All Skill Levels

Apart from a live class, my second favorite way to learn and upscale my needle painting skills is from a quality book. I’ve put together a list of the best needle painting books that helped me in my journey and I often come back to them for reference.

If you’re looking to learn the technique for free, check out my complete guide on how to paint with thread.

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What is the Best Needle Painting Book for You?

The best needle painting book is the one that meets your needs and expectations. Here are a few things to consider before buying a needle painting book:

QUALITY OF INSTRUCTIONS – when learning the needle painting technique, clear and detailed instructions are key. If you’re a beginner, look for a book that takes you through the entire process with all the necessary steps. A book that skips steps will only make you feel frustrated and overwhelmed.

NUMBER OF PROJECTS – I always prefer a book with a good selection of projects to work on. Look for books that not only teach you the basics but also challenge you to try the technique on a wide variety of shapes.

COLOR PALETTE – if you’re needle painting for a while, you know how finding that perfect color palette for your project can be daunting. A good book can give you lots of inspiration for your own future projects. You’ll already know what colors blend well together and create a harmonious overall look.

PATTERN SIZES – some books may provide shrunken patterns, so you may need a scanner to enlarge them. Ideally, a book will offer patterns that are true to size, so you won’t have to worry about enlarging them.

IRON-ON TRANSFERS – if transferring patterns is your least favorite part of the embroidery process, make sure to check if the book comes with iron-on patterns. Some do, and others don’t, so it’s always good to check before purchasing.

If curious, you can read my article and learn how to make your own iron on paper transfers.

12 Best Needle Painting Embroidery Books

We all have our reasons for buying books. As a beginner, you may be looking for a book that guides you through the basics of thread painting. Once you mastered the technique, you might be looking for more challenging projects to practice on, color palette ideas for your own work, or just a bit of creative inspiration.

I’ve gathered my favorite books here, and I’m sure you’ll find something that suits your needs!

1. Needle Painting Embroidery for Beginners

This book is essential for anyone who wants to learn the needle painting technique. As you know, I’m a big fan of Trish Burr’s work and her books, and this one is no exception. It’s easy to follow, provides clear instructions, and comes with 15 gorgeous projects.

Highly recommended for beginners!

2. The Kew Book of Embroidered Flowers

Another state-of-the-art book signed by Trish Burr, beautifully presented in an elegant hardcover folder, with stunning detailed illustrations and photography.

This is one of the best needle painting books you can find no matter your abilities. The book teaches you everything you need to know about the technique.

The book not only provides all the patterns needed for the 11 breathtaking projects, but it also comes with a set of reusable iron-on. The beautiful works in the book are embroideries of botanical artworks from Kew’s Art Collection.

You can read more about it in my The Kew Book of Embroidered Flowers article.

3. The Kew Book of Nature Samplers

This is Trish Burr’s most recent book and is a follow-up to her popular Kew Book of Embroidered Flowers.

What I love about her new book is the modern spin on the samplers featured – butterflies, bugs, birds, a rabbit, a hedgehog, lotuses, foxgloves, poppies, toadstools, and many wildflowers.

Pre-ordered mine and can’t wait to explore this masterpiece.

4. Colour Confidence in Embroidery

Do you remember we were talking about color inspiration earlier? This is exactly the book you’ll need for mastering colors and blending for the needle painting technique.

Full-color lists of DMC thread colors that go well together, no boring color theory or color wheels! Just a huge resource of colors that blend well together.

The best embroidery book on colors I have purchased!

5. Thread Painting and Silk Shading Embroidery

This beautiful and inspiring book explores much more than the needle painting technique (also known as silk shading).

You’ll find instructions and examples on different types of shading, threads, paddings, mounting and framing projects, and some gorgeous projects to practice on.

6. Miniature Needle Painting Embroidery

An exceptional book for the hopeless romantics. This is another gem from Trish Burr, featuring 18 Victorian-inspired miniature embroideries.

Each project comes with thread listings, step-by-step photographs, and row-by-row instructions.

7. Needlepainted Plants and Pollinators

This is a great book exploring the needle painting technique of natural subjects – plants and pollinators, including butterflies, moths, wasps, and beetles. What I love about this book is that it is worked in silk threads and the clarity of instructions.

Each stunning project consists of a pollinator and its plant, including fascinating entomological insights. 

8. Goldwork and Silk Shading Inspired by Nature

This book is a practical guide exploring two of the most beautiful techniques in surface embroidery – goldwork and silk shading.

The book comes with an incredible variety of nature-inspired patterns: 6 samplers and 28 stunning projects, featuring flowers, plants, trees, bats, and dragonflies.

If you want to learn how to blend these two techniques to create beautifully intricate pieces, then this book is a must-have!

9. Embroidered Cat in My Pocket

Can we resist those eyes? No way!

Even though pet needle painting isn’t really my cup of tea, I just had to have this book. I must admit, I still haven’t done anything from this book, but I’ll get around to it eventually.

The book of Japanese embroiderer Hiroko Kubota is taking us on a needle painting journey of stitching cats on cute fashion accessories.

The detail in these ten cat embroidery projects is astonishing. The good news is that each has great instructions, so the standard shown is totally achievable.

10. Pet Portrait Embroidery

This is a fantastic book on needle-painted pet portraits. You may already know Michelle’s work from Stitching Sabbatical. If you don’t, make sure to take a look at her website. Her work is truly incredible!

I particularly like Michelle’s unique approach which allows you to stitch cute dog and cat patterns in a clean simple line drawing, or go full color with needle painting.

This makes sense when you think about needle painting pets is not for the faint-hearted. A very easy-to-learn approach that’s slowly building your skills.

One of the best needle painting books if you’re into pet portraits!

11. Paint with Thread

If you’re familiar with Emillie Ferris’ work, you probably know how amazing her works are. This is a state-of-the-art book that reminds me of Trish Burr’s needle painting books.

The book comes with 5 projects, each one having around 60 detailed step-by-step photos, showing every stage of the process.

I particularly like the theme of her book, the four seasons, and one special design that brings the natural year together into one showstopper embroidery. 

12. The Embroidered Art of Chloe Giordano

Last but certainly not least, this stunning book celebrates the incredible art of textile artist Chloe Giordano.

As its title suggests, this is an art book rather than a project book, that takes you on a journey through Chloe’s creative process.

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MORE EMBROIDERY BOOKS YOU’LL LOVE

• The Embroiderer’s Story by Thomasina Beck
• 10 Best Embroidery Starter Packs You Can Get on Amazon
• Colour Confident Stitching by Karen Barbé
• Make Your Own Iron On Paper Transfers with Cricut
• 14 Thread Painting Embroidery Kits for All Skill Levels
• Essential Tools for Working with Embroidery Colors
• Hand Embroidery Supplies Essential for Beginners
• Hand Embroidery Needles Guide
• Best Colored Pencils for Adult Coloring
• 10 Thanksgiving Coloring Books with Activities

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Which books have inspired you the most in your needle painting journey? I would love to hear about your experience and preferences in the comments below.

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